‘There’s no place I’d rather be’

Not that long ago it seemed very unlikely that Luke Boyd was going to turn into one of the American Association’s best pitchers.

He began the 2025 campaign with the Cleburne Railroaders but was released two weeks into the year after getting torched for nine runs in less than seven innings of work.

The Baylor University product was unsure if he would have a future in pro ball after that, but then, his old pal Logan Watkins — the manager of the Winnipeg Goldeyes — threw him a lifeline.

Watkins managed Boyd in Cleburne in 2023 before taking the job in Winnipeg.

Boyd, however, didn’t exactly jump at the opportunity to reunite initially. Fourteen months later, he’s thrilled that he warmed up to the idea.

“Logan said they had some injuries early so they needed a guy. I still wasn’t sure because Winnipeg was the only place I had never visited in this league,” admitted the 28-year-old.

“But since I knew Logan and love playing for him, I decided to give it a shot and I absolutely fell in love with the city, the fans, the stadium — it’s been a great time.”

It’s been a really great time recently.

The Fish hosted the Chicago Dogs for a doubleheader at the downtown Winnipeg ballpark on Tuesday and Boyd led the home team to a 4-1 victory in Game 1.

He gave up one run and six hits in seven innings (doubleheader games are shortened to seven) while striking out four batters to improve to 8-3 on the year.

Boyd is fresh off being named the American Association’s Pitcher of the Week after tossing eight innings and striking out eight in a 3-1 win in Kansas City last Tuesday.

The Goldeyes were riding an eight-game winning streak heading into Tuesday — their longest in a decade.

The streak grew to 10 as they also took care of business in Game 2 with a 7-4 result.

The Fish moved into second place in the West Division at 37-31. The Dogs dropped to 21-48 which is the worst mark in the 12-team loop.

“Next level is always nice, but I’m definitely bought in and trying to win for the Winnipeg Goldeyes,” said Boyd, who was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 17th round of the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft.

“There’s no place I’d rather be, honestly. I’m loving it here.”

To make his outing even sweeter, his mother and brother were in attendance as they made the trip up north from the family’s hometown of Ojai, Calif.

“It was the first time they’ve been out here, so it’s pretty exciting to have given them a little bit of a good show,” he said.

“The last time I closed out a game was in college, and that’s because I was a closer, so it’s been a while since I finished the last inning of a game — even though it was a seven-inning game.

“But that was a lot of fun.”

The Goldeyes signed Boyd on May 28 last season. In 17 starts, he posted a 5-10 record with a 4.53 ERA in a year where the club missed the post-season at 41-59.

This season, Boyd’s ERA of 4.06 is ranked in the league’s Top 10.

“Personally, I’m just a little more comfortable. It’s my second year, and I’m comfortable with the clubhouse and everyone on the team,” he said.

“Last year coming in early in the season, but still coming in after spring training and the first few weeks, I was timid and feeling my way around the clubhouse. But now, I feel like I kind of set the energy on some days. When I’m not pitching, my job is to be a good teammate.”

Things didn’t look overly promising for Winnipeg just past the midway point of the 100-game marathon.

The Goldeyes resided in the fourth and final playoff spot out of the West but were playing some rather unspiring baseball at 27-31.

A lot has changed in the last two weeks.

During their recent hot streak, they’ve been averaging over six runs per game and have outscored the opposition 66-38.

“We knew we were always capable of playing good ball, just sometimes the chips didn’t fall our way. But we never lost faith,” said Boyd.

“Logan is doing a pretty good job of putting a good product out there on the baseball field and we’re just trying to do our jobs.”

In 2025, the Goldeyes went 10-24 in one-run games. This season, they’re 8-7 while also playing especially well at Blue Cross Park with a 23-13 home record.

“There’s no questiion that we’re playing some good ball right now so I’m just trying to keep things rolling,” said Boyd.

“It’s very, very, very fun to be a part of this winning streak.”

The four-game series with Chicago continues tonight at 6:30 p.m. The series wraps up on Thursday with first pitch set for the same time.

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